The Sutra of the Moon (2)

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The Sūtra of the Moon (2) (Skt. Candrasūtra; Tib. ཟླ་བའི་མདོ།, Wyl. zla ba’i mdo) is a short text that presents a Buddhist description of a lunar eclipse. On one occasion, while the Buddha s residing in Campā, the moon is covered by Rahu, lord of the asuras, which causes an eclipse. The god of the moon asks the Buddha for refuge, after which the Buddha urges Rahu to release the moon. Seeing this, Bali, another lord of the asuras, asks Rahu why he did so. Rahu explains that if he had not released the moon, his head would have split into seven pieces. Thereafter, Bali utters a verse praising the emergence of buddhas. Besides being included in the Kangyur, in the Chinese Āgamas, and the Pali Nikāyas, The Sūtra of the Moon (2) was included in collections of texts recited for protection.[1]

Text

The Tibetan translation of this sutra can be found in the General Sutra section of the Tibetan Dergé Kangyur, Toh 331

References

  1. 84000 Translating the Words of the Buddha.